Prior recoil starters such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,460,420 and No. 2,604,882 have used a dog-type clutch to move axially and engage the engine flywheel to start the engine. These starters have required use of a mechanism to resist the initial turning of the clutch mechanism and provide the required axial engaging motion. The mechanism thus must both slide axially as well as rotationally to accommodate the necessary motion.